It's Not Just Mothers: Effects of Fathers on Youth Religiosity in Catholic Families

A challenge faced by religious parents—and Catholic parents in particular—is the transmission of their religious values to their children. Studies have highlighted parental religiosity as a contributor to children's religiosity across development. However, differential effects of fathers and mothers may be of practical importance when it comes to supporting the religious trajectories of children. Although fathers have previously been thought to play a negligible role in their children's religious development, emerging evidence suggests that the influence of fathers' and mothers' religiosity on shaping youths' trajectories in religiosity may be characterized by distinct mechanisms. To best understand the role that the family can play in promoting youths' religiosity, it is important to consider the interactive mechanisms underlying youths' faith trajectories, particularly in Catholic samples. Therefore, this study explored the unique and interactive effects of fathers' and mothers' religiosity and relationship quality on their adolescents' religiosity in Catholic families. The data were derived from a longitudinal subsample (N = 186 families) drawn from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79-YCA). Unique effects of not only mothers but also fathers emerged, as well as interactions between father- and mother-adolescent relationship quality. The implications of this study can help support practitioners, pastoral counselors, and families themselves in understanding and promoting the mechanisms that may help instill religiosity in their adolescents.